The Lost Daughter
by SeraphineVoldairem
Summary: Seraphine Voldairem is about to start Hogwarts. There she will go on an adventure like no other, where she must learn who to befriend, and who to trust with the secret of who her father is-and the powers she inherited from him.
1. Chapter 1

The Hogwarts Express

Seraphine Voldairem quickly and quietly stepped on to the train, looking at all the families waving their children good bye, listening to the heart-felt cries and sobs of worried first-year parents. She rolled her eyes. It was times like these she was glad to have no parents; but these times were rare. She had loved her parents dearly.

Her father had died when she was 7, the day her magical powers had shown themselves. He-

"All aboard! All aboard!"

Seraphine sighed. She had lost her train of thought. Stupid conductor.

Being the first one on the train, she easily found an empty compartment in the back and made herself comfortable. A few minutes later, two giggling girls came over and stopped at Seraphine's compartment. One asked, "Hey, can we sit with you? Everywhere else is pretty full."

Seraphine said nothing, only stared. Her coal-black eyes boared into the girls' coldly. They began to shift uncomfortably, glancing at each other a few times.

Finally, one said, "nevermind, i think i see another friend over... there," and she pushed her other friend away. Seraphine smiled. Worked every time. She leaned back and closed her eyes, knowing she would never be able to sleep. The nightmares had come again last night, worse than ever. it seemed as the time for her to go to Hogwarts grew closer, they got worse. She was still fretting over them, worrying about what they meant, when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She turned, opening her eyes slowly, pushing her short black hair out of her face. What she saw surprised her.

Standing in the doorway was a boy, a first-year most likely, with a small pointed face and white=blonde hair. But that wasn't what shocked her. It was his eyes. They were silver, gleaming in the flouresant lights of the train. She had never seen eyes so...beautiful. The boy smiled at her. "Hi," he said. "Im Scorpius. Scorpius Malfoy. Who are you?" He stuck out his hand and waited for an answer. Still lost in his eyes, Seraphine automatically turned her eyes cold, knowing he would turn sooner or later.

Minutes passed. The boy-Scorpius-still had his hand extended, waiting for an answer. Finally, Seraphine gave up. This boy was strange, different; no one had ever lasted so long under her gaze. She took his hand and said, "Im Seraphine Voldairem. Pleasure." She was surprised to find she meant it-meeting this boy _was_ a pleasure. She had a feeling he was going to make her life at Hogwarts a lot more enjoyable than she had imagined.

Scorpius sat down across from her. "Do you have your robes? My dad told me they dont announce when we're at Hogwarts, we have to guess. So you should probably get ready soon-just to be safe, i mean. My dad warned me to be safe at Hogwarts. There are a lot of bad things there, even though You-Know-Who's been defeated and all. There's still a lot of things wrong at Hogwarts. My dad says it because of Dumbledore. He left a lot of things at Hogwarts that messed everything up. Have Your parents told you anything about Hogwarts? What house do you want to be sorted into? I want to be in Slytherin. My whole family has been in Slytherin. The only thing is if i get into Slytherin, i have to be bad. i dont like being bad. it gets me punished severly. Do you-"

"Stop!" Seraphine shouted, the lights above her flickering. She closed her eyes and counted to ten. Feeling calmer, and hoping Scorpius hadn't seen her eys when she yelled, Seraphine looked at Scorpius. He was wide-eyed, staring at her in fear. She said, "You talk way too much. And to answer your questions: Yes, i have my robes. I know when we'll be close to Hogwarts. I'll change then. Yes my parents told me all about Hogwarts, when they were alive. They're dead now. I want to be in Slytherin also, because of my dad. And in answer to the question you were about to ask, I get beat for no reason at the orphanage where i live. Its terrible there. They dont understand what i am. i hate it. Now if you dont mind, i didnt get a lot of sleep last night, and i am going to try to catch up so i dont pass out during the Sorting Ceremony."

And with that, Seraphine turned and closed her eyes. She heard Scorpius open and close his mouth, probably wanting to voice a ton of questions. Finally, he turned and she heard his breathing become softer. He was asleep. Seraphine turned back and looked at the small form of Scorpius Malfoy. She thought about how he hadnt turned away from her, how he had sat down when no one else had. He seemed to be very loyal-or maybe stupid.

_'Well, I'll find out soon enough_.' Seraphine thought.

She laid down on the bench in the compartment and closed her eyes. She fell asleep, and for once, no nightmares bothered her.

A/N Hello everyone! This is my first FanFiction, so forgive me if its a little rudeimentry. Im trying :) so yea, Read and Review please and hope you enjoy :)


	2. Chapter 2

The Sorting Ceremony

Seraphine awoke to the sounds of excited children yelling. Her eyes snapped open, and she ran to the window. She saw bright lights on the distance, across a large lake. They were at Hogwarts already! She whirled around and saw Scorpius sitting in his Hogwarts uniform, staring at her wide-eyed. Her eyes narrowed, and she felt anger boiling in her stomach. She lowered her head so Scorpius couldn't see her eyes and said, very menaceingly, "Why. Didn't. you. Wake. Me?"

Scorpius cringed. Seraphine looked up, crossed her arms and began tapping her foot impatiently. "Well?"

He gulped and said shakingly, "I saw how peaceful you looked, and when I first saw you, you looked like you hadn't slept in_ weeks_, and...and...I thought I was being nice, Seraphine, I'm sorry!" She narrowed her eyes again, and pushed him out of the compartment so she could change and think about what Scorpius said. Nice? No one had been nice to her at the orphanage. She was used to being teased and fighting for food. The last time someone was nice to her was...the day her father died. She shuddered. _'Don't dwell on the past, Seraphine. You're almost at Hogwarts. Almost home._' she thought with a smile. She had thought of Hogwarts as her home ever since her magical powers had shown themselves. She had been so eager to get to Hogwarts, so eager to learn all her parents knew- and more. She wanted to be the greatest witch that ever was. Even greater than that Harry Potter fellow.

Seraphine shuddered again. Her father had hated Harry Potter, and taught her to hate him as well. Her parents had told her horrible stories about him, and what worse was Potter's kids went to Hogwarts, the youngest being a first-year like herself. She was hoping she would never meet him. Finally, she finished changing and opened the compartment door. Scorpius was still standing there, wringing his hands. Seraphine sighed and said, "I'm sorry for snapping. I just don't like to be late. Do you forgive me?" She looked up at Scorpius to see him grinning. "'Course I forgive you, Seraphine," he said patting her shoulder. "The real question is if you forgive me." Seraphine smiled and nodded.

Just then, the train stopped and a mad rush to get off the train began. Scorpius' grin became wider and he grabbed Seraphine's hand, saying, "C'mon, Seraph, hurry! We have to find the other first-years!Then its off to Hogwarts!" Seraphine allowed herself to be pulled along the corridor, blending into the crowd. She was thinking about the name Scorpius had called her. _'Seraph? That's a strange name...but it is easier than Seraphine...I'll have to think about this one._' she thought as Scorpius helped her off the train.

They heard a gruff voice shout over the babble of the other students, "Firs'-years over here! Firs'-years, c'mon, don't dawdle!" Seraphine and Scorpius followed the voice and saw the biggest man they'd ever seen. He had kind black eyes peering out of a mane of wild hair and a ragged beard, both black heavily streaked with gray.

'_Hagrid_', Seraphine thought, staring up at the half-giant, remembering the name her father had told her long ago. And the story that went along with it.

_"Would you like to hear a story, Seraphine my dear?"_

_Seraphine, no more than five years old, jumped up and down in her blue pajamas. "Oh, yes, please, Daddy! One about Hogwarts!" she cried, clapping her hands._

_Her father smiled and picked her up. "Well, if it's one about Hogwarts you want, it's one you'll get. It's about the kindly half-giant, Rubeus Hagrid," he said, limping toward her bedroom._

_He set Seraphine down in her bed, tucked her in, and eased himself into the old rocker by her bed. "This story begins in Hagrid's third year,"he began. "It was about half-way through the year, when something terrible started to happen. All the Muggle-born students in the school were being Petrified by an unknown creature. Now, at first this wasn't so bad. The Herbology teacher was able to whip up the cure like that,"he said, snapping his fingers, "So no one thought much about it._

_"Until one day, a Muggle-born died."_

_Seraphine gasped, her small hands covering her mouth. "How?" she asked. Her father threw up her hands. "None of the students had any idea. But they were all terrified. So one night, the headmaster- Professor Dippet- gathered all the students in the Great Hall and told them the truth: the Chamber of Secrets had been opened."_

_"What's the Chamber of Secrets, Daddy?" Seraphine asked, her face showing how worried she was. Her father smiled. She always got too interested in these stories, too emotional. Which made telling the story all the more enjoyable. "The Chamber of Secrets was once thought to be a legend. You see, when Hogwarts was first founded, Salazar Slytherin got into a disagreement with the other three founders about who should be accepted into the school. He thought only pure-bloods should be allowed to learn magic, not Muggle-borns. When he was denied, he decided to plot revenge. He made a Chamber underneath the school, where he placed a horrible creature that could could kill simply by looking in your eyes. Only a direct descendant of Slytherin- Slytherin's Heir- could unleash this beast on the school. And he had arrived. _

_"No one knew what this beast was, or who the Heir was. No one but one boy. He tried to convince Professor Dippet, but he wouldnt listen, So the boy took matters into his own hands. He saught out the Heir and almost destroyed the evil beast. Almost. The boy only succeeded in shooing the beast from the castle, and getting the Heir expelled. So, i bet you're wondering who the Heir was."_

_Seraphine nodded, her eyes wide. Her father grinned. "It was none other than...Rubeus Hagrid!" His daughter gasped. "But i thought he was nice! You said he was a kindly half-giant!"she cried. "Everyone thought he was kindly. Turns out he had an evil intent," he explained. Seraphine tilted her head, looking confused. "But then if Hagrid was Slytherin's Heir, then who almost destroyed the beast?" she asked. _

_Her father grinned and, spreading his arms wide, cried, "Why, it was none other than Tom Marvolo Riddle, the boy who would soon become the greatest wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort!" Seraphine laughed and clapped her hands, then yawned. Her father smiled, kissed her forehead, and said, "And now it is time for you to go to sleep, my little one. Good night. I love you."_

_And he sat back in the chair and watched over his daughter until the light shone through the window._

Seraphine was snapped out of her reverie by Hagrid shouting, "All righ', firs'-years, follow me! We got a long way ter go 'fore we get to the castle!" He started to walk and the first-years obediently followed.

After walking for about twenty minutes, Seraphine and Scorpius heard Hagrid's booming voice shout, "You should get yer firs' look a' Hogwarts just 'round this bend here!" This statement was followed by gasps and exclamations of joy. Seraphine made around the bend and sopped short.

Across a beautiful sparkling lake lay the castle. Its turrets and towers pierced the night sky, the windows shining with candlelight. It was breath-taking. Seraphine felt tears springing to her eyes. 'This is where my parents learned it all. This is where they lived, where they made their lives... Now its my home...' She wiped her eyes just as the students arrived at the edge of the lake. She was in a boat with Scorpius, a boy with messy black hair and bright green eyes and a girl with short, curly brown hair and blue eyes. She immdiately recognized the boy as Harry Potter's son, Albus. 'What a stupid name. After the worst headmaster ever. So moronic.' The girl, Seraphine didnt know, but she didnt stop blabbing. Hogwarts this, school that, spells-I-know this, it was so annoying. 'If she knows everything, why does she even have to go to school? She can stay at home and teach Potter everything he needs to know.'

It seemed to take hours to cross the lake, but when they finally came ashore, Seraphine lept out and dragged Scorpius along with her. She put as much distance between them and Potter and the girl as possible. Before long, they were at the magnificent doors of Hogwarts, about to enter for the first time.

Hagrid knocked on the door three times, and an old, stooped witch in a black pointed hat and a green dress opened it. "The firs'-years, Professor McGonagall." Hagrid, said, stepping aside to let the first years into the Entrance Hall. The old woman- McGonagall- nodded and said, "Thank you, Hagrid." She then led the students up a flight of stairs in front of another pair of beautiful doors. Then she turned and addressed the first-years.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family." Here, Seraphine cringed. The woman that took her to the orphanage said that the other orphans would be her family too. Three guess how that had turned out. McGonagall continued, "You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I will return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly." And she walked off. Almost immediately, the students began buzzing about which house they would be in.

{A/N McGonagall's speech was taken directly from the book, not my ideas}

Soon, McGonagall was back, and the students were silenced with a look. Then, she threw open the doors, and the first-years were led into the Great Hall, where four tables full of older students went silent and stared at the new children. Seraphine was immediately self-concious, and moved closer to Scorpius. He smiled at her reassuringly and squeezed her hand. Seraphine smiled back. She was getting used to Scorpius' kindness- maybe too used to it. She still wasn't sure if she could trust Scorpius. If she became too close, he might ask questions- about her past, her parents... Her smile faded and she turned to the front of the Hall.

There she saw a raised dias, upon which sat a long table. A bunch of teachers were seated there, along with the headmaster, Gregory Ballard. Or at least that's what the know-it-all girl from the boat was whispering behind her. Seraphine rolled her eyes, trying to quench her anger. She couldnt let it get out of control. If anyone saw her eyes... She shook her head. She'd cross that bridge when she came to it.

The other students in front of her stopped at the edge of the dias, the rotund headmaster looking kindly down at them with his gray eyes. McGonagall then brought out a four-legged stool, and put an old, worn-out hat on it. THen she pulled out a scroll, and began to read names.

"Abercrombie, John!"

A scrawny boy walked up to the stool and sat down. McGonagall placed the hat on his head. It saw there for a minute, then a rip opened up near the brim.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The boy grinned and ran towards the cheering table full of Gryffindors. McGonagall called the next name.

"Belby, Anna!"

The girl stood and walked hesitantly up to the stool.

"RAVENCLAW!"

Ths went on for a while. It started to get really boring. Seraphine swore she fell asleep at one point, but was awoken by "Longbotttom, Hannah" being sorted into Gryffindor. She spaced out again, but was snapped back into reality when a name caught her interest.

"Potter, Albus Severus!"

The hat sat on the scrawny boy's head, almost covering his eyes. They peered out from underneath the hat, as it whispered in his ear. He looked terrified. He wondered what the hat was saying. Finally, the hat opened its mouth wider.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The boy looked absolutely relieved, and ran toward the table, where he was greeted by a boy with equally black hair and brown eyes. They looked enough alike to be brothers, which they probably were. He was greeting the boy with enthusiasm, saying something like, "I knew you wouldnt be in Slytherin!" over and over. Seraphine wondered what that meant. What was so wrong with Slytherin? Just then, another name was called that snapped her back to Earth.

"Malfoy, Scorpius Hyperion!"

Seraphine stifled a laugh. 'Hyperion?' she thought. 'What a name!' But she didnt say anything as Scorpius left her side and walked up to the hat. As he sat down, she smiled at him. The hat barely touched his head when it yelled,

"SLYTHERIN!"

Scorpius sighed, removed the hat and ran to the cheering table. After that, the names jumped to two twins, Lorcan and Lysander Scamandar, one of which in Ravenclaw, one in Gryffindor. They shrugged at each other, and sat down at their respective tables. Then it was her turn.

"Voldairem, Seraphine!"

Seraphine swore McGonagall stuttered at her name. Did she know? How could anyone know? She thought only Professor Ballard knew! She shook her head. 'Okay, Seraphine, get over it. What does it matter if she knows? Just get through the Sorting and forget the whole thing.' she thought as she walked up to the stool. She sat down, took a breath, and the hat was placed on her head. The hat gasped.

_'You're...that girl?'_

Seraphine grimaced. _'Yeah, I'm her. So what house?'_ she thought back.

_'Well, its not that difficult. You cunning, powerful, smart... perfect Slytherin material... But..'_

_'But? I don't like that. What's wrong_?'

_'You have a weakness. You trust too quickly. Slytherins trust no one'_

_'I'll keep that in mind, Now hurry up and shout Slytherin, they're getting impatient_.'

The hat sighed and shouted,

"SLYTHERIN!"

Seraphine got up and walked, head held high toward the table, grinning when she saw how relieved Scorpius was. She slid into the seat next to him and whispered, "Hyperion?" He blushed. "It was my mother's idea. Some great-uncle or something. Please don't mention it again."She grinned and turned back to the Sorting. The last to be sorted were two red-heads and the know-it-all. McGonagall shouted out their names.

"Weasley, Dominique!"

"Weasley, Fred!"

"Weasley, Rose!"

All were sorted into Gryffindor. What shocked Seraphine more was that they were related. she could see the red-heads, but the know-it-all? They sat with a group of different aged red-heads, who were all congradulating the trio. A whole family of Wealey's. Seraphine's eyes narrowed as she remembered the tales her father told her of the blood-traitor weasley's. She didnt know they had children. What was worse was the fact that she might have classes with them. First the Potter boy, now the Weasley's? This school year was not going as she had planned- not going that way at all.


	3. Chapter 3

The First Class

After the star-of-term feast, the students were dissmissed to their common rooms. Seraphine and Scorpius followed the Slytherin prefect down to the dungeons, where they stopped in fron tof a solid wall. Seraphine looked at Scorpius. Had they reached a dead end? Did the prefect not know where his own common room was? Scorpius saw her confusion and smiled. He nodded toward the prefect who was explaining about passwords.

"Every house common room has a password to get in. It changes every week, so pay attention to your fellow classmates to find out what the new one is. No one will tell you out right. Slytherin teaches you to fend for yourself. You may get hints as to what the password is, but never the actual password. Now pay attention." The prefect then turned to the wall and said, "Pure."' A door appeared in the solid wall and swung open. The Slytherins filed into a spacious room, with polished black-wood floors and black stone walls. On the left side, there was a sculpted marble fireplace, with a roaring fire shedding light on the two overstuffed green chairs in front of it. On the right were bookcases, black with silver designs, filled with, of course, books. There was a green and silver rug on the floor in front of them, the edges framed by embroidered snakes. The cieling was sloped upward, and hanging from the center was a beautiful chandelier. There were large windows chedding greenish-light. The prefect said they were under the lake, which is why the color was strange. He then motioned to a staircase to the right, saying it was the way to the dormitories. After going up, the girls went to the left, the boys to the right. Breakfast would start the next morning at exactly 8 AM, followed by classes. they would recieve their schedules at breakfast. Then, they were dissmissed.

Seraphine followed the crowd up the stairs, saying goodbye to Scorpius and heading to the bed with her trunk at the foot. She opened it, changed into her pajamas, and took out her wand, yew and pheonix feather, 15 inches, It was the first time holding it since she went to Diagon Alley to get it. After it chose her, it was taken to be put in a 'safe spot'. Or at least, thats what Professor Ballard had said. He was there with her to get her supplies for Hogwarts. After getting her robes and cauldron and everything else, she handed it all to the headmaster, who hid it while she returned to the orphanage. She wasnt allowed to look at anything about Hogwarts for two weeks, until she got on the train.

Seraphine waved her wand a bit, sending green sparks out of the end. Professor Dippet had looked absolutely terrified when the yew wand had chosen her. She wondered why. She knew how to do some magic because of her father, but she had learned to control it. She wasnt randomly shooting out spells like she used to...She had hurt so many kids when she first got to the orphanage. Especially at night. Her nightmares caused her to lash out with magic, trying to destroy the awful images that came to her. She looked around at her sleeping room-mates and bit her lip. What if she hurt them? Would she be kicked out of Hogwarts? Ballard knew it would be mistakes, accidents. Seraphine had told him all about her nightmares. She sighed and put her wand away, then got into bed. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

_Seraphine drifted down a dark path, toward a large manor on a hill. It was immaculte, huge, and probably very expensive. All the windows were dark but one. Her dream self drifted up to the window and passed through like smoke. What she saw terrified her._

_Sitting in a large chair by a fire was a human-like figure- but it wasnt human at all. It was pale, curled up, ugly...and terrifying. Seraphine didnt know why, but she did not want to get any closer the thing in the chair. Standing on one side was a short man with long fingernails and big front teeth. He was running his hands over his balding head with a hand that was missing a finger. She didnt trust the man, though she snesed he wanted to be loyal to the thing in the chair. He did whatever the thing asked of him- he must be very stupid._

_On the other side of the chair was a handsome man, his tongue darting out nervously every once in a while. The thing in the chair spoke with a raspy voice, "Soon everything shall be in place. Then we can put our plan into action. The time is close. I can feel it."_

_The way the thing in the chair spoke sounded familiar. But it couldnt be... Seraphine, going against her better judgement, inched closer to the thing, and saw its face. She gasped. _

_No! It couldnt be him! She screamed and waved her hand, dispersing the vision... and woke up._

Seraphine lashed out, still screaming, sending sparks flying. She sat in bed panting. That nightmare was new... Usually they were repeats, the same nightmare over and over- flashes of light, the murder of her father... Shown again and agin...

Seraphine shuddered. Before her father was murdered, he could make the nightmares go away just by standing there. This made her think of her nightmare-free nap on the train. She wondered what made the nightmares go away. '_Maybe it was my father's spirit, with me on the train,_' she thought with a smile. _'But then why isnt his spirit with me now? He spent more time at Hogwarts than on the train... The only other person with me was Scorpius..._' Seraphine gasped. Scorpius made her nightmares go away! But he couldnt come into the girl's dorms. She could survive with nightmares for a few weeks, but usually after that they became unbearable... At the orphange she sometimes wouldnt sleep for a week or more, until she finally collapsed. If that happened at school,she would fall behind. That would not be good. She didnt want to get kicked out of her beloved school. She sighed and laid back down. She would talk to Scorpius tomorrow, and try to plan what to do. She hoped he woldnt ask too many questions. Seraphine sighed again and closed her eyes.

The next day, Seraphine got up at around two AM, woken by another nightmare. She was showered and dressed before any of her classmates were up. When Scorpius finally staggered down to the common room at a quarter to eight, she was starving, and very antsy. Scorpius walked up to her, rubbing his eyes and muttered, "Morning. When did you get up?" Seraphine said, "Around two. I wanted to talk to you about-" Just then there was a mad rush in the common room to get to the Great Hall. Seraphine sighed. She would have to talk about her nightmares later, when her and Scorpius were alone. She took Scorpius' hand and led him out of the common room, through the door, and followed the crowd to the Great Hall.

They made their way down witha minute to spare, and grabbed two seats across from each other. The prefect from last night came around and handed them the schedules. Seraphine looked at hers. Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Astronomy with the Gryffindors, Herbology and Charms with Hufflepuffs, and History of Magic and Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws, not necessarily in that order. Seraphine looked angrily at the Gryffindor table. Three classes with the Gryffindors? She wasnt sure she would make it. She could see by the Potter boy that he wasnt happy with the schedule either. Seraphine shrugged it off and began to eat. She was the last to finish eating, Scorpius politely waiting for her. When they finally started to make her way to their first class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Scorpius asked amazingly, "How did you eat so much? I've never seen anyone eat that much before!" Seraphine laughed. "I was starved at that orphanage where i lived. I've never seen so much food, and i just ate..." Scorpius smiled and said, "Well, I'm glad you wont be starved anymore." "Thanks" Just then, they entered the DADA room, and found two seats near the back. The teacher entered.

He stalked into the classroom, black cloak billowing behind him. He had slicked back, dark brown hair and deep blue eyes, looking out coldly at the class over his pointed nose. His tight lipped mouth looked like it hadnt seen a smile in years. He spoke in a rough Scottish accent, "My name is Professor Frederick Archard. You will address me as either Professor or Professor Archard. In this classroom you will learn about the Dark Arts and how to stop them. No one shall be harmed in this room, this I promise.

"Now you may be wondering why you have to learn Defense after the Dark Lord was defeated. Though he was destroyed, some of his followers were not. You must be fully prepared. Now, open your books to page 12 and begin reading." and he walked to his desk and sat there watching them.

Seraphine glanced at Scorpius, pulling out her DADA book. She had imagined this class was going to be her favorite, like her father's. When her father told her about his classes, he talkd about them with reverence. He had loved this place. Seraphine had imagined herself enjoying them as much as he had. She had thought this school would have been everything she had ever wanted, everything she had dreamed about.

But little did Seraphine know, everything was about to change.


	4. Chapter 4

The Truth

The rest of the week sped by in a blur. All she really processed was all the homework given by McGonagall and Archard. What depressed her more was the fact that Archard is the Slytherin Head of House. She was told this by Scorpius while they were attempting to do the DADA homework, whcih was looking near impossible.

After hearing the news Seraphine groaned and threw down her quill. "Great, along with having him for a teacher, i get to have him represent my House,"she complained, cleaning up the ink droplets she had sprayed from her quill. "Well, there is a bright side,"Scorpius said, watching her. She looked up. "And what would that be, Scorpius? What possible silver lining can you find in this terrible situation?" Scorpius grinned and stated, "When people meet Archard, they'll see what a true Slytherin is like: a foul git, only concerned with how they look, even if they look downright terrible." Seraphine laughed and said, "Please tell me i'm not your average Slytherin!" Scorpius grinned wider and said, "Of course not. You the complete oppostie of average, Seraphine."

She stopped laughing and simply smiled at her friend. It was during the night when she had awoken from another nightmare that she decided she could completly trust Scorpius, and that he had earned the honor of becoming her friend. Thinking about last night made her remember why she had asked him to study with her in the first place.

Seraphine leaned forward a bit, put her elbows on the table, clasped her hands, and peered out for over them, all laughter gone from her face. Scorpius saw how serious she became, and began to grow worried. "Seraphine, what's wrong?" She looked around the common room, and saw it was empty. Then, she leaned forward and spoke. "Scorpius, I am about to tell you something i have never told anyone else before. It's about... my past."

Scorpius' eyes widened. In the short time he had known Seraphine, he had noticed she was very aloof and avoided questions about her family. Just this morning the Slytherins had gotten into a conversation about their lineage. Seraphine only looked up from her toast to mutter that she was a pure-blood. Then she had gone back to eating and hadnt said another word. It had made Scorpius really wonder who her parents were; and now, it was his time to find out.

Seraphine took a deep breath and said, "First, my mother. She was a kind witch from Italy, and i look exactly like her, except for my eyes. We'll come back to that later. My mother met my father when he was... Vacationing in Sicily. They fell in love, got married and had me." Here she paused and looked at Scorpius, then grinned. "You're wondering who my father was." When Scorpius nodded, so did she. Then she breathed deeply, and spoke the secret she had hidden for years.

"My father was known by some as Tom Riddle, but to most, he was Lord Voldemort."

Scorpius' mouth dropped open. Seraphine nodded and continued. "He wasnt really killed that day. Yes, all of his Horcruxes were destroyed, but he still had some soul left in him. And that soul was all he needed to stay alive. And, in his defense, he was the best father I could have asked for. He cared deeply for me, and never harmed me or raised his voice once. He absolutely adorded my mother too. Sometimes I would find them in the kitchen, just staring into each other's eyes smiling. There was this unspoken communication between them that I envied. But my father never forgot me. He always made sure to be the first one to wish me a happy birthday, always there for me. He was there when I first showed my magcal powers."

Seraphine took a breath and leaned back, remembering that day. "It was my seventh birthday. My father was keeping a close watch on me, saying he showed his powers the day he turned seven. I had gotten angry at some small thing, I cant even remember what, and i stormed outside. The first thing i saw was my beloved cat, Cleopatra. She was a beautiful short-hair, tan with a gold band around her forehead. I loved her so much...But in my anger, i waved my hand at her, there was a flash of green light, a yowl... and she was dead." Seraphine's eyes welled with tears at the memory of Cleo's lifeless body lying on the grass. Scorpius ran around the table and put an arm around her shoulders, trying to comfort her. He asked, "So you can do magic without a wand?" She nodded and said, "Sadly only the Unforgivable Curses. Watch." She got up, went to the window and plucked a spider off the edge. She put it on the table and waved her hand, muttering, "Crucio."

Immediately, the spider writhed in pain. Another hand wave, and the curse stopped. Seraphine brushed the spider off and said, "See?" Scorpius nodded. Seraphine wiped her eyes and continued.

"That same day, my father told me all the things about himself he never told me before. How he hurt people, killed people...and about the Potters. That story hurt me. That some stupid, ignorant baby could destroy my father like that... It sickened me. I vowed that day to destroy the Potters, make them feel the same hurt my father felt." She sighed. "Anyway, that night I was so excited, thinking about Hogwarts and classes and spells... I couldnt sleep. Near midnight, I heard someone Apparate into our living room. Being curious and foolish, I looked out of my room to see a hooded figure go towards my parents bedroom. I followed him in. I heard a voice, one I didnt recognize say, 'I've found you at last, Tom. No more hiding with your precious family. Tonight, your life will be destroyed like you destroyed mine.' Then...Then he pulled out a knife and hacked my father to pieces."

Seraphine broke down, sobs escaping from her chest. She felt Scorpius pull her onto the floor, wrapping her in an embrace Seraphine hadnt felt for years. She cried for a while, unleashing bottled up emotions that she had kept in check for years. Finally, shee straightened up and shakily continued.

"I stood there in the doorway and watched. I couldnt turn away. It was horrifying... I still have nightmares... All I heard was my mother shrieking, crying, yelling... It hurt both my ears and my heart. Then, the man Disapparated, leaving my father's mangled body to rot.

"My mother and I buried him the next day, in our backyard. She was never the same after that. I think the...incident drove her mad. It pained me everyday to look at her. She pretended my father was still here, spoke to him, had _whole conversations_... It was terrible. Finally one day, I came home and found a note, telling me that my mother had thrown herself off a cliff, in an attempt to 'catch my father.' Then i was sent to an orphange."

She turned to Scorpius. "Well there you have it. My life story, told once, and only once." Scorpius sat back on his heels, watching her carefully. He spoke slowly. "Two things. First, your eyes. You said something about them not being your mothers...?" Seraphine nodded and leaned closer to Scorpius,awkwardly close, but it was neccessary. She widened her eyes slightly. "Look at my eyes. Can you see my pupils?" Scorpius shook his head. Seraphine grimaced. "Really? Nothing?" Scorpius shook his head again, and Seraphine sighed. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this," she muttered, then she sighed and looked at Scorpius.

"Get me angry,"she said. Scorpius looked confused. "How do I do that, and why?" Seraphine answered, "Tease me. Poke me. Laugh at me. Anything. And you'll find out after."

Scorpius took a breath. "Okay," he finally said, then looked at Seraphine coldly. "Why are you here?" he asked. Seraphine now was the one looking confused. "What?"

Scorpius stood up, towering over her. "Why are you at Hogwarts? You dont belong here. Your father is Voldemort, for God's sake. Who knows what you're capable of. Sure you say you can only do the Unforgivables, but you're probably hiding something. Lying, just like your father always did." He bagan to walk around her slowly. "You're worthless, Seraphine. Stupid, idiotic... and not to mention ugly. Hogwarts will never be a home to you. You will never fit in. And once I tell everyone who your father is," he said, leaning down to stare right in her eyes, "You'll be thrown out faster than you can say 'Quidditch'. You'll be a nobody... Just like you were. And just like you always will be. You'll never be the greatest witch alive. Never."

And that's when Seraphine lost it.

She bared her teeth in a menacing way and blinked. When she opened her eyes, they were blood-red. Scorpius lept back as Seraphine stood to tower over him. He was terrifyed, but what really scared him the most was Seraphine's pupils. They were slits, like a snakes. Like her father's. "Imperio!" Seraphine yelled, waving her hand at Scorpius. He was lifted up by an invisible hand and was brought closer to Seraphine. She glared at him. "Take. It. Back." she said through gritted teeth. Scorpius stammered, "I...I take it back! I'm sorry Seraphine, I didn't mean it, you told me to, remember? You're smart and funny and beautiful and you _will_ be the greatest witch!I would never tell anyone who your father is, never, I promise, Seraphine! Please, believe me!" Seraphine looked at the fear in his eyes, and felt the truth of his words. She did remember telling him to get her angry, and she sighed. She let him down, took off the curse, and shut her eyes. When she opened them, they were back to their normal coal-black.

She saw Scorpius huddled in fron tof the fireplace and went to sit next to him. She put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Sorry, Scorpius. I wanted to show you how i was like my father, other than being able to curse people. I didnt mean to scare you. Sorry." Scorpius saw how apologetic Seraphine looked and gave her a shaky smile. "It's okay, Seraph. I forgive you,"he said, putting a hand over hers. "Now, onto my second quesion. You said something about nightmares. Is that why you're always tired?" Seraphine nodded. "I've always had nightmares, even when i was a baby. My father used to be the only one who could make them go away. Which brings me to a question for you."

"When I fell asleep on the train, I didnt have any nightmares. I thought it was because my father's spirit was with me,"she said with a small, sheepish smile. "But when I fell asleep in the dorms, I had nightmares. You were with me that night on the train. I think... I think its you that keeps the nightmares away now. So, since I can't go in the boys' dorms, and you cant come in the girls', I was wondering if we could sleep in the common room. I could sleep on the floor, you on the couch, and see if I have nightmares. It wont be every night, just when I cant take the nightmares any more. So, what do you think? Will you?"

Scorpius nodded. "I think it'll work. If anyone asks, we say we fell asleep doing homework,"he said, gesturing toward the open DADA books. Seraphine smiled and threw her arms around Scorpius. "Thank you, thank you!"she cried, hugging him tightly. He hugged her back and she ran to get her pajamas, suddenly feeling very tired. She also grabbed a blanket, just in case she got cold.

When she got back to the common room, she saw Scopius in his pajamas, sitting on the couch, watching the fire. She walked around to the floor and started to lay down, when Scorpius jumped up.

"You can have the couch,"he said. Seraphine smiled. "It's fine,"She answered, sitting on the stone. "I'm used to sleeping on the floor. Good night." And she turned and was almost immediately asleep.

The fire threw shadows across her face, making it seem like her face was abnormally skinny. Scorpius sat watching her, see her fine black hair sprawled on the floor, her closed eyelids hiding the beautiful black eyes. He sighed and carefully picked Seraphine up, putting her on the couch. She curled up and stayed asleep, barely taking up half the couch. He watched her a little longer, then laid down on the other half of the couch. _'She just told me the biggest secret of her life,_' he thought, staring at the dying fire. _'I wonder if i can tell her my secret. The secret that made me sit down with her that night on the train. The secret that makes me follow her, stay with her, want to comfort her when I see her upset. The secret....that I love her._'

The next morning, Seraphine woke up on the couch,for once not from nightmares. She was facing the empty, cold fireplace. She sat up, wondering where she was. Then she saw Scorpius and everything that had been said last night rushed back to her. She smiled, and curled back up,noticing she was on the couch. _'Scorpius must have picked me up_,' she thought. _'He's stronger than he looks. And a much better friend than I thought. He's so understanding, so kind, so loyal... I expected him to run when I told him my father was Voldemort. But he didnt. He's a true friend._'

Then she curled up and fell asleep again, still smiling, happy the truth was out at last.


	5. Chapter 5

The Fight

The next day was, thankfully, a weekend. Scorpius and Seraphine awoke before everyone else, so no one saw them. They snuck back into their dorms, put on some regular clothes, and wandered down to the Great Hall for some breakfast. When they got there, they saw three Gryffindors sitting at a table. Seraphine's heart sank. It was the Potter boy, with two of the many Weasleys- Rose the Know-it-all and Fred, a tall lanky boy who didnt look very smart. Seraphine walked past them with her head held high, trying to ignore them, but Potter saw them pass.

"Hey!" he cried, standing up. "Hey, blondie! You're Draco Malfoy's kid, right?" Scorpius turned and glared at Albus. "What's it to you, Potter?"he answered coldly. Albus took a step back. "I was just wondering. My dad told me stories about your dad. And i was wondering if you were like him-a foul, traitorous, untrustworthy git!" Scorpius' silver eyes flashed. Seraphine put a hand on his arm. He looked at her, and she shook her head slightly.

Albus laughed. "Whoa, got yourself a girlfriend? What is she blind? Stupid? She doesn't look very 's your name?" Seraphine ducked her head. Scorpius saw a flash of red as she put her head down, and felt her grip tighten on his arm as she tried to restrain herself. She said slowly, "My name... Is Seraphine. And I dont like you. So stay away. And dont talk to me. Or Scorpius. Else you want to wake up without your arm." Then she dragged Scorpius away.

When they sat down at the Slytherin table, Scorpius rubbed his arm, muttering, "Ow..." Seraphine grimaced. "Sorry. If i hadnt held onto your arm who knows what i would've done to him."she said, putting toast and eggs onto her plate. She ate, glaring at the threesome at the Gryffindor table once in a while. A few times she got glares back, from both Albus and Fred, but they couldnt hold her gaze.

'My eyes still freak people out,' she thought proudly. 'I was wondering if I had lost that skill when i met Scorpius. A lot of things have changed since then...' She shook her head as she and Scorpius got up from the table. 'Dont dwell on it, Seraphine. Change is good...right?' She was so occupied with her thoughts that she didnt notice someone calling her name.

"Hey! Seraphine!" Seraphine recognized the voice as Albus', so she sped up. Suddenly, a wadded up piece of parchment hit her head. Her eyes flashed as she spun around. "What do you want, Potter?" He smiled and said, "I just wanted to tell you that i think we got off on the wrong foot. I dont think you should hang out with Malfoy here. He's no good. Has he ever told you about his family?" Seraphine shook her head, her eyes narrowing. Albus grinned wider. "Well, I think you should know that Scorpius' own father was-"

WHAM!

Scorpius' fist hit Albus' nose faster than Seraphine's eyes could follow. Albus was on the floor, clutching his bleeding nose. Fred and Rose came around the corner and stopped short. Fred balled up his fists and ran toward Scorpius, trying to hit him. Scorpius nimbly jumped out of the way and tripped the red-head. He went sprawled on the floor. Meanwhile, Albus had gotten up and Rose had fixed his nose and stopped the bleeding. Albus rushed at Scorpius' back, ready to hit him, when Seraphine decided to join in the fight. She stepped in front of Albus and punched him with all her strength. His head whipped around. She hadnt hurt him much, but she did stun him long enough for Scopius to pull out his wand and shout "Stupefy!"

Albus went flying back, knocking into Rose and sending them both tumbling down. Fred got up from the floor, ran past Scorpius and Seraphine, and helped his cousin and friend up. Just as they got on their feet, Professor Archard walked out of the Great Hall. He saw Scopius standing with his wand out next to Seraphine standing ready to fight again on one side of the hall, and Rose, Fred, and Albus standing, rose dishevled, on the other. His eyes narrowed and he gestured for the five children to follow him. Scorpius put his wand away and walked with dignity past Albus and the Weasley's, purposley knocking into Albus' shoulder as he followed Archard. Seraphine followed closely, shooting an evil look at the three Gryffindors.

When the group arrived in Archard's office, they were ordered to sit in wooden, uncomfortabe looking chairs Archard conjured up in front of his desk. Once they were all seated, Archard sat behind his desk and looked at them above steepled fingers. He said in his cold, Scottish voice, "Now, which one of you would like to explain to me what was going on in that hallway? Ms Voldairem? How about you start?"

Seraphine took a deep breath as everyone looked at her. She began, "After breakfast,Scorpius and I were walking down the hall when a piece of parchment was thrown at my head. I turned and saw Albus standing there. He said something about Scorpius' family, and then..." She glanced at Scorpius. If she told Archard Scorpius started the fight, Scorpius would get in serious trouble. But if she lied, and Archard found out, she would get in serious trouble, which she didnt need. Scorpius guessed what she was thinking and nodded to her. She took that as a sign to tell thr truth. She sighed and continued, "Then Scorpius punched Albus. Fred and Rose came then, and Fred ran at Scorpius, like he was going to attack, and Scorpius tripped him. I saw Albus had gotten up and Rose had healed him, and Albus started to run toward Scorpius, but Scorpius had his back turned. Then I stepped in front of Albus and hit him. Then Scorpius Stuepyfied Albus, and that's when you came in, Professor."

Archard nodded and turned to Albus. "Well, Mr. Potter? Is that what happened?" he asked. Albus tilted his head and grimaced. He said, "Well, sort of, Professor. You see, Seraphine didnt tell you what was said in the Great Hall. Fred, Rose and I were sitting at the Gryffindor table, minding our own business, when Seraphine and Scorpius walked by. I saw that Scorpius looked like his father, Draco, And i knew my father, Harry, knew Draco when they were in school. I thought I would try and make friends with Draco's son, you know, to see if i could kind of end the feud between the Malfoys and the Potters. Sadly though, Scorpius did not want to become friends, and siad so with harsh words before turning his back on me rudely. When i saw Scorpius and Seraphine leaving, I thought i would warn Seraphine of Scorpius' ancestors, and his bad family history. I didnt want her to become tangled up in that. Before i could do so however, Scorpius attacked me. And then that's where Seraphine's story is correct. Scorpius threw the first punch, and i was simply defending myself."

Seraphine and Scorpius both sat there, open-mouthed at this outright lie, but didnt say anything. Archard nodded again. "Well," he said taking out a piece of parchment and a quill from his desk. "Whatever caused this fight, it was still very disrespectful. All five of you will recieve detention, and fifteen points each will be deducted from your houses. I will let you know, by owl, when and where you will serve your detention. You may go."

Scorpius and Seraphine were the first to get up, rushing out the door before the Gryffindors could get them in more trouble. When they arrived back at their empty common room, Scorpius flopped down on the couch and sighed, covering his eyes with his hands. Seraphine sat down on the chair closest to where Scorpius' head was. She patted his white-blonde hair, and said, "It's alright Scorpius. Thirty points isn't that bad. I can make that up easily in Herbology and Transfiguration, you know McGonagall and Longbottom love me, for whatever reason." SCorpius smiled for a second at that, but was soon somber again.

"It isnt the points," he said, sitting up and facing Seraphine. "Its what Potter said about my father. He wasnt that bad. He..." Scorpius stopped and looked around before continuing. "He was like your dad. He had a bad reputation, but was probably the best father i could ask for. See, he was once a...a... Death Eater. When he was in his sixth year, he joined them. But it wasnt because he was evil. His father was absolutely terrible to him, he was always put down, he was hated at school. It was terrible. He thought that, by joining the Death Eaters, he would fit in. That he would be cared for. But he wasnt. So after Voldemort was.. well, suposedly destroyed, he renounced the Death Eater ways and came to the good side. He cared for me like his father never did. He was the best, and hearing Albus even hint that my father was evil...!" He turned and punched a pillow. Seraphine sat down next to him and put her arm around his shoulders. "It's okay, Scorpius. I know you're father isnt evil. From what i've heard about your grandfather, Lucius, if i were Draco, I would've done anything to get away from him." Scorpius smiled. "Yeah, he's very uptight. I wonder what he would say if he knew I knew you, and he knew who you are. He'd probably be ecstatic." Seraphine pulled away and looked at him, fear in her eyes. "You wont tell him, will you? You cant, it has to stay a secret! You cant even tell your parents! No one can know, okay?" Scorpius nodded. "I know, Seraphine. I havent told anyone. I wasnt even dreaming about telling anyone. I figured you wanted it kept quiet. Oh, yeah, which reminds me. Why is your last name 'Voldairem'? Wasnt your father's name Riddle?"

Seraphine nodded. "My real name is Seraphine Marvolo Riddle. When i got my letter there was a note from Ballard that said i had to think of a new name, so i took a few letters from 'Marvolo Riddle' and got Voldairem," she said with a smile. Scorpius smiled back. "Well, i think its a cool name," he said, glancing at the clock. "I also think we can go outside and you can show me your flying skills. How about it?"

Seraphine nodded and grabbed her coat, following her friend outside. As they flew around on the school brooms, Seraphine forgot about parents, and Albus, and detentions. All she could think about was how Hogwarts was turning into the best thing that could have ever happened to her. And, flying around with Scorpius, she couldnt have been happier.


	6. Chapter 6

The Detention

The rest of the weekend flew by, with no more disturbances by Potter and his followers. Seraphine almost forgot all about the fight on Saturday, until breakfast Monday morning. She and Scorpius were almost finished eating, when the owl post came flying in. Serpahine immediately saw her beautiful Pigmy Snowy Owl, Amari, flying straight for her holding a small envelope. He alighted on her shoulder and happily gave her the letter before taking a piece of toast. She opened the letter as a Screech Owl gave Scorpius an identical letter. The letter read in a neat, flowing script_:_

_Your detention shall take place in the Forbidden Forest tonight, overlooked by Game Keeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher Rubeus Hagrid. _

_You are to be there at EXACTLY seven o'clock. You__ are to spend two hours obeying his every word. _

_If i find out you have slacked, the consequences shall be severe._

_Signed,_

_Frederick Archard_

_Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor_

_Head of Slytherin House_

Seraphine groaned. _'Two hours with that oaf, plus the Gryffindor crew? Ugh!_' Serpahine thought with a grimace. She looked up to see Scorpius and the three Gryffindors had identical expressions. _'Well, glad to know they are at least as miserable as I am,_' she thought with a smile, getting up with Scorpius to head for their first class, Herbology.

It passed in a blur. Seraphine had always had a thing for plants and animals, snakes especially, but that was mainly because of her father. She was a Parseltongue, but could speak to plants in a way no one in her family could. They obeyed her, grew when she wanted them to, and did what she asked. Once, she even made a Mandrake stop crying! Neither Seraphine nor her parents knew where this talent came from, but she used it well. It also made her head of her Herbology class; in front of both the know-it-all Rose and the Herbology professor's own daughter! When that was over, she headed to History of Magic, where she fell asleep next to Scorpius, planning to read the chapter in _'A History of Magic'_ that Professor Binns was so boringly describing. Finally, there was the long awaited free period that was spent doing the homework that was due the next class: a 1000 word essay on the history of a Transfiguration spell for Professor McGonagall. Borrring, but it had to be done. Seraphine helped Scorpius with his, since McGonagall seemed to absolutely be against him getting an A.

When they got to Transfiguration, McGonagall took their essays and launched right into the lesson: Switching Spells. They were paired up and told to switch a part of an animal onto your partner. Seraphine and Scorpius were given a rabbit, a cat, and an owl and told to begin.

Seraphine was first. She looked at Scorpius, grinned, and waved her wand. In a flash, Scorpius was sprouting the cat's pink nose and whiskers. Scorpius crossed his eyes, trying to see his twitching nose while Seraphine grinned wider. Scorpius looked at her, smiled back, and waved his own holly wand. Almost immediately, Seraphine felt something burst out of her back. She turned and saw the tip of an owl wing. She giggled, then turned back to her partner, who had his arms crossed and was smiling proudly. Seraphine again waved her wand, and gave Scorpius furry, orange cat legs. He fell of his chair and stood on all fours, staring at his new paws in wonder. He grabbed his wand and gave Seraphine fuzzy, white rabbit legs, causing Seraphine to laugh in amazement and joy. Scorpius' eyes widened. In the weeks he had known Seraphine, never had he heard her laugh. It was an amazing sound, like bells. She turned back and, to everyone's amazement, started to jump. Her new rabbit's legs enabled her to almost touch the high ceiling. While she jumped, she flapped the owl's wings Scorpius had given her, and soon was hovering above her astonished classmates. She laughed in joy again and began swooping over the desks and heads of her classmates. As she finished a loop-de-loop, she noticed McGonagall looking at her. She immediately stopped laughing and landed lightly down in front of the strict professor.

McGonagall waved her wand and at once Seraphine's legs turned back to normal and the wings disappeared. Her head down, Seraphine knew what was coming. _'Another detention...But it was worth it_,' she though, surpressing a grin. She had always loved to fly, but that love definitely wouldnt help her in this situation. She sighed. '_Well, time to face it,'_ she thought, and looked up. What she saw shocked her.

McGonagall was _smiling_.

"Can you fly like that on a broom, Ms. Voldairem?" she asked. Seraphine nodded, speechless. McGonagall nodded once and simply said, "See me after class." Then she turned and went back to her desk.

Seraphine, still speechless, headed back to her own station, where Scorpius was sitting on the floor, open-mouthed. She sat down as McGonagall waved her wand again, turning everyone back to normal.

Seraphine could barely concentrate on the rest of the lesson. '_See McGonagall after class? Was it that bad what i did? I only flew around! But she was smiling... Ugh, I dont know what;s going to happen. All I know is that I still have detention tonight, and if staying after makes me late, I'm-'_

"Ms. Vodairem!"

McGonagall's voice brought her back from her thoughts. She looked up to find everyone staring at her, obviously wating for wahtever answer McGonagall was looking for. She stuttered and finally said, "I'm sorry, ma'am, I didnt hear the question. Can you reapeat it, please?" McGonagall said, "I will this once, Ms. Voldariem, but next time, I will not be so kind. Do you know the creator of the Switching Spell?"

Seraphine grimaced. She had meant to read that chapter after finishing her essay, but with helping Scorpius, she hadnt had time. After figiting under her classmates stares, she finally addmitted, "I'm sorry, Professor. I dont know." McGonagall nodded once and said, "Five points from Slytherin, Ms. Voldairem. Mr. Malfoy, perhaps you know?"

Scorpius gulped. "I-I dont know either Professor. Sorry." He stuttered. McGonagall nodded again, took five more points, and called on a Ravenclaw who-of course- knew the answer.

The class ended with McGonagall loading on homework, and the students rushing out the door. Seraphine hung back, waitng for the room to clear out before going up to her teacher. As Scorpius passed, he whispered, "I'll see you in the common room." Seraphine nodded and stood, pushing her dark hair behind her ears. When she got to the desk, McGonagall stood and motioned for Seraphine to follow her. Seraphine's brow furrowed, but she followed McGonagall to another classroom filled with sixth-years. McGonagall walked up to a tough looking Slytherin and whispered in his ear. He turned to look at Seraphine, and glared at her, almost looking like he was sizing her up. She glared back, turning her eyes cold like she had in the train. His eyes widened slightly and he nodded to McGonagall. She smiled again and walked out of the classroom to Seraphine.

McGonagall led her a little way from the classroom before turning and saying, "You will be expected at the Quidditch pitch on Friday for Keeper tryouts. Mr. MacBain usually does not allow first years to try out, but after telling about your feat in my classroom, he was willing to make an exception. You should be very honored, Ms. Voldairem."

Seraphine's mouth dropped open. She _was_ honored. She had never dreamed of being on the Quidditch team! "Thank you, Professor!" she finally managed to say, black eyes shining. McGonagall smiled and dismissed her, walking away toward her office.

Seraphine sprinted back to the Slytherin common room, choked out the password and raced around the couch to face Scorpius. As she stood panting in front of him, Scorpius closed his Transfiguration book and rose.

"What's up, Seraphine? Is something wrong?" he asked, concern etched on his face. Seraphine shook her head, took a deep breath, and shouted, "SOME FIFTH YEAR MACBAIN IS THE CAPTAIN OF THE QUIDDITCH TEAM AND BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED IN TRANSFIGURATION HE'S LETTING ME TRY OUT FOR KEEPER!" Scorpius' face lit up as he said, "That's fantastic, Seraphine!" Then, he puller her into a hug.

Seraphine stiffed, sparks crackling off her fingers. Scorpius quickly leaped back. "What's wrong, Seraphine?" he asked, looking around the common room. Seraphine looked at him, a confused look on her face. "What was that?" she asked. It was Scorpius' turn to look confused. "What was what?" "Whatever you just did! Grabbing me like that! It...Well, it freaked me out! I thought you were going to choke me or something!"

Scorpius started laughing, which made Seraphine angrier. "It's not funny, Scorpius! Seriously, what was the point of that?" Scorpius looked up and said between laughs, "It was a hug, Seraphine. You hug someone when you're proud of them, or want to make some one feel better. It's a nice gesture." He stopped laughing. "Have you... Never been hugged before?"

Seraphien shook her head. "My parents weren't really the most affectionate. I mean, I know they loved me, they just didnt flaunt it." Then, Seraphine glanced at the clock. "Oh, shoot, Scorpius! It's six thirty! We have to go to Hagrid's hut or we'll be late for our detention!" She dropped her bag and sprinted for the door, Scorpius at her heels.

It was six fifty-eight when they made it all the way down to the hut on the edge of the forest. They arrived panting in front of the Gryffindor trio, who looked as though they had been there for a while, standing with the half-giant Hagrid. When he made sure the two Slytherins had their breath back, he began to tell them waht they would be doing that night.

"Alrigh', tonight we will be gatherin' poition ingredients fer Professer Slughorn. I got a list righ' here abou' what ye need ter find. Now, to get this done quicker, I'll be splittin' ye into two groups, and no complainin' 'bout who's in yer group, ye got tha'? Now, searchin' fer this stuff will be Rose, Fred, an' me, then Scorpius, Seraphine and Albus can look fer this stuff. Alrigh' off we go!" And with that he led the way intot he forest.

A little ways in the group came to a two way split in the road. Hagrid went one way and instructed the other three to follow the other path. They started off, all three quietly fuming about their rotten luck.

A few minutes later, Seraphine bent down to pick up a plant she recognized that was on the list. Albus turned to look at her. "You're actually _trying _to find this stuff?" he asked. She glared at him and replied calmly, "Yes, I am. I, for one, don't want to get in trouble, which we would if we didnt find anything." Albus snorted. "I, for one," he said in a mocking tone, "think this is a waste of time. I mean, i shoudlnt even be here! It was that son-of-a-Death-Eater that got me into this mess, anyway. I didnt do anything." Seraphine was on her feet with her wand out in a flash. She stepped in front of Albus and, with her eys threating to turn red, said, "Take that back, _Potter_. You don't know Scorpius' dad."

Albus laughed. "Oh, and you do? Please, you just met Scorpius this year. I bet he's been hiding all the horrible things his git of a father did when he was in school. You wouldnt believe all the things my dad has told me about him. He says-" Just then, a rumbling sound was heard coming from Seraphine's left, deep in the forest. Seraphine turned in time to see a herd of centaurs speeding towards her. Her mouth dropped open. She was frozen to the spot, unable to move as the centaurs sped closer and closer.

Suddenly, something hit her with enough force to knock her to the ground. She glanced behind a robe-covered shoulder and saw the centaurs speed past. "_Oh my goodness,_" she thought. "_Someone... saved me... but who? Well, of course it must be Scorpius. He's my best friend, he probably rushed past Albus to save me._" Seraphine smiled and looked back at the person who had knocked her down, expecting to see the luminous silver eyes that she had first seen on the Hogwarts Express. Instead she found a pair of emerald eyes belonging to none other than Albus Potter. Her own black eyes widened. She wanted to look away, but those green eyes held hers. They were.. Well, beautiful, just like Scorpius'. They were under perfect black eyebrows, arched just right. His nose was stright and proud looking, set in a round face under a mop of messy black hair. "_He's handsome,_" she thought before she could stop herself.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, her eyes hardened. She roughly pushed the Potter boy off and stood up, dusting off her robes. He stood up too and walked off without a word. Almost immediately Scorpius was at her side, making sure she was alright. She answered his questions automatically, saying she was fine, still staring at Albus' retreating back.

They finished their detentiong, finding almost every ingredient on the list. That night, as Seraphine lay in bed trying to sleep, she found herself thinking about those green eyes, and the owner of them.

Incredulously, Seraphine wondered if she was falling for the boy from the very family that her father had despised.


End file.
